Toy organ



July 18, 1944. J GREEN 2,353,890

TOY ORGAN Filed Feb. 15, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 TAPS Hon: SHEET Hon: MES-4653643423 1234651164342! W m 11 5. BY 4 I W fi- W 13.2

July 18, 1944.

J. GREEN TOY ORGAN 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 R w m Q. "bun A W i W Y leg- Patented July 18, 1944 TOY ORGAN Joseph Green, Brooklyn, N. Y., assignor to Wolverine Supply and Manufacturing Company, Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application February 13, 1943, Serial No. 475,758

3 Claims.

This invention relates generally to organs and more particularly to organs having a single wind chest or box to which each pipe or reed is connected and individually controlled by an independent key-valve.

The principal object of this inventionis the provision of a simplified organ structure that is economical to manufacture and easily played by a small child.

Another object is the provision of a common wind box to which a series of reeds or pipes are directly connected and the passage of air there through for producing a musical note is controlled by individual key-valves.

Another object is the provision of apparatus for visually displaying a series of musical scores and stories that may be played on a toy organ,

the indicia of the score and the series of keys of the organ being matched to produce a tune when the proper sequence of depressing the keys is followed.

Another object is the provision of means for supplying wind to a toy organ.

Another object is the provision of a combined key and valve for a toy organ.

Another object is the provision of a simplified action for a toy organ.

Another object is the provision of novel closure members for envelopin parts of the toy organ.

Other objects and advantages appear in the following description and claims.

In the accompanying drawings practical embodiments illustrating the principles of this invention are shown wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a reed type toy organ comprising this invention.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal view in section of the organ illustrated in Fig. 1 showing relative positions of the wind box, reeds and keys of the organ.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the rotary support for the disk record.

Fig. 5 is a full view of the disk record.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a pipe or whistle toy organ.

Fig. 7 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 'I-'| of Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a view showing a modified action for a toy organ.

Fig. 9 is a view showing another modified form of action for a toy organ.

Referring particularly to Figs. 1 to 5 of the drawings, the organ is shown supported on the rectangular block or base Ill made of any suitable material but is indicated as wood in the drawings. Intermediate the front and rear edges of the base III a vertical panel II extends longitudinally of and is secured to the base Hi. This panel may extend above the base a sufiicient heighth to support a record or print having pictures and tunesto be played on the organ. The panel II may be made of heavy paper or cardboard. The lower end of the panel II is scored and bent forwardly to form the flange I2 which is nailed or otherwise secured to the base It! as shown in Fig. 3.

A wind chest or box I3 is supported on the base Ill to the rear of the panel II. The wind box shown is made up of four strips of wood substantially the same length as the base It and closed at the ends thereof, forming a complete box independent of the base. The top Id of the wind box has a series of uniformly spaced holes I5 the centers of which are in alignment and are preferably located nearer the front edge of the wind box than the rear edge. A plate I5 carrying a reed I'I shaped to produce a tone of definite pitch is fastened to the underside of the wind box lid I4.

A series of spaced slots I8 are cut transversely through the panel I I at the elevation of the front edge of the wind box I3 and in line with each of the holes I5 to receive the flat key-valves 2B. The slots being slightly lower than the top surface of the wind box lid I4 permit the front top edge 2I of the wind box to act as the fulcrum for the key-valves 20. Thus the nearer the holes I5 are to the fulcrum 2! the less effect the depression of the key has on the amount of air passing through the holes I5 at a given pressure.

The flat key-valves 20 may also be made of heavy paper or cardboard and are preferably shaped as shown in Fig. 2. The rear sections of the keys function as a valve for controlling the exhaust of air past the reeds I1 and through the holes I5. The front sections of the keys are exposed in front of the panel so that they may be depressed to lift the valve section from the top of the wind box to uncover the holes I5 and permit a musical note to sound. Any number of keys and notes may be employed but a full octave is shown on the toy organ illustrated in the drawings.

The valve section of the key-valves 20 is provided with two pairs of notches 22 which align with the front and rear edges of the wind box I3. A rubber band 23 is passed over the top of the key-valve and in the intermediately positioned notches 22, then down under the wind box l3 and up over the key in the notches 22 adjacent the rear edge of the wind box. In this manner one rubber band holds each key-valve firmly to the lid M of the wind box and the slots [8 retain the key-valves in their proper spaced rela- When the key is depressed, it pivots on the fulcrum 2i and the rear section elongates that portion of the rubber band 23 passing down the back of the box.

The valve section of the key-valves 20 may be reduced in width as indicated at 24 so that when open it will not interfere with the discharge of air from the holes [5. However this reduction in width should not be such that it would weaken the key causing it to bend, as it is important to maintain fiat valve surfaces to seal the holes l5, preventing air from escaping when the associated key-valve is not depressed.

The key-valve tension may be adjusted by H gathering the rubber bands to the front side of the wind box or replacing them with heavier rubber bands.

A musical note may be sounded by lifting well as depressing the key-valves. However the depth of the slots is limit the height-h that the keys may be raised, which is not true when the key is depressed.

A short wood sleeve 25 serves as an inlet open ing for the wind box !3 which may be located at any convenient place but it has been found more satisfactory to place it in the center of the lid Hi. A hole substantially equal to the outer diameter of the sleeve 25 is drilled in the lid i4 midway between the centermost holes l5 to permit the sleeve to be inserted and glued in place. A rubber hose 2% may be inserted in the bore of the sleeve 25 and pass through the opening 27 in the panel H to the front of the organ. The other end of the hose may be provided with a wood mouthpiece as indicated at 28.

The operator may blow air through the hose into the wind box and depress the keys to play a tune. However a collapsible box or bellows may be employed to furnish air to the wind box.

The record disk 30 as shown in Fig. 5 may be made of cardboard and is provided with a series of pictures 3! each having a corresponding tune 32 which may be displayed at the same time through their respective windows 33 and 34 in the panel H when the disk is revolvably mounted thereon as shown in Fig. l. The shaft 35 as shown in Fig. 4 has an enlarged knob 35 and a reduced bearing surface 3-! that is journaled in a hole through the panel and is slightly larger than the thickness of the panel. A second reduced surface 38 is arranged to snugly receive the disk 33. The surface 38 may be made slightly less than the thickness of the disk 3i) to permit the U-shaped washer ii) to tightly clamp the disk against the shoulder formed by the bearing surface 3? when the washer is inserted in the groove ii. Thus by grasping the knob 35 the disk 39 may be rotated to align a selected story or tune with the Windows 33 and 3:3. The surface 38 may be made non-round to prevent the disk from slippin thereon or the may be made to freely revolve on the surface 38 and turn by hand at the top of the organ.

The front and rear parts of base may be covered by the folded cardboard covers 4-2 and 3-3 which when fastened to the base completely enclose the base and the action. The front cover 42 may act as a stop limit for the depression of the keys and the rear cover 43 is is cut out to permit the sleeve 25 to extend thereabove.

In place of employing the ordinary scale the keys may be numbered individually or by placing the numbers on the front cover 42 with the music score indicated by numbers as shown in Fig. 5. Other indicia may be employed with the story or the score for this purpose to attract the childs eye for the purpose of teaching coordination. In Figs. 6 and 7 a calliope or pipe organ is shown wherein the reeds are replaced by pipes or whistles 44 having a similar pitch range. The pipes may be inserted in the base In and connected to the common wind chest 13 by the individual passages 45 controlled by their separate valve-keys 20.

A shorter rubber band 23 may be employed with this arrangement as it is required to pass only once around the key and the block. However the action is the same as that previously described.

In the structure shown in Fig. 7 it is necessary to have a closer fitting key slot l8, since the key-valves 20 must extend through the wall of the wind chest 13, to prevent material escape of pressure.

In Figs. 8 and 9 two other methods of securing the rubber bands 23 to the key-valves 20 are shown. In Fig. 8 tacks 46 are driven into the wood and into the under side of the key-valves 2G. With this structure a single strip of rubber may be employed instead of a rubber band. In Fig. 9 a tongue 41 is arranged to extend rearwardly with the key-valve 20 and both members are encircled by a rubber band 23. This structure is substantially the same as that disclosed in Fig. 7.

The organ and the calliope may be made up in several different attractive styles. The use of wood and paper parts permit the toy to be made during times when it is difficult to obtain other materials that would be suitable for the same purpose.

I claim:

1. In a toy organ the combination of a base plate, an upright panel mounted on the base, a wind box resting on the base on one side of the panel, means for supplying air to the wind box, a series of openings in the top of the wind box, a pneumatic means for producing a tone of definite pitch associated with each opening, a series of slots through the panel at substantially the same elevation as the top of the wind box and aligned with the openings therein, a flat key-valve covering each opening and extending through the associated slot, and means for resiliently holding the key-valves to the wind box, said key-valves pivoting on the edge of the wind box adjacent the panel to discharge air from the openings when the key-valve is depressed,

2. The structure of claim 1 in which the means for resiliently holding the key-valve to the wind box comprises a rubber band encircling the intermediate portion of the key-valve and passing down around the wind box and encircling the rear portion of the key-valve.

3. The structure of claim 1 which also includes a cover enclosing the wind box on one side of the panel, and a second cover enclosing the base plate on the other side of the panel, the second cover extending closely adjacent the underside of the key-valves to act as a stop for limiting the depression thereof.

JOSEPH GREEN. 

